MTV Newsroom › lebron james

LeBron James Wants You To Meet 'The Heatles'

Posted 1/5/11 2:30 pm EST by in Music


Over the summer, when the Miami Heat were in the process of bringing together one of the greatest trios in NBA history in LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, a big argument erupted surrounding the league's new superpower. It wasn't over the size of their contracts or the effect on the city of Cleveland (whose team James was leaving behind). Rather, it was about a nickname. Now that the three had gotten together, what would we call this new team?

A number of ideas were kicked around, though just about all of them were terrible. "The Big Three" seemed way too generic, while "Miami Thrice" had both cultural relevance and grammar problems. "The Superfriends" was a little more on the ball, but it still felt strangely generic. All transcendent basketball teams need a great nickname, and it would be a crime if the Heat won the NBA championship without one.

But apparently James wants to solve the problem himself. In an interview with Fox Sports after the team's game in Charlotte on Monday night (January 3), James said that he calls his little group "The Heatles," comparing his arena-filling team to the Beatles.

While the Beatles were certainly gigantic (and able to fill arenas all across the country, just like the Heat), they were never quite as polarizing as this basketball team. Still, the personalities of the individual players do match up relatively well.

LeBron James is Paul McCartney
Like Paul, LeBron is the group's most popular member and generally responsible for their crowd-pleasing hugeness. Also, on a long enough timeline, LeBron would probably write "Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time."

Chris Bosh is John Lennon
While Bosh has never quite had the kind of adoration enjoyed by James and Wade, he is still capable of greatness. He's not unlike a post-Beatles Lennon, who was not quite as successful as McCartney but had a handful of truly transcendent moments. He also seems most likely to marry a woman who would completely change the course of his career.

Dwayne Wade is George Harrison
Like Harrison, Wade is the very picture of consistency. Though he is no longer the go-to guy in Miami, Wade continues to put up solid numbers and create for the players around him. Harrison rarely got the opportunity to shine in the Beatles, but when he did punch through, it was usually jaw-dropping.

Juwan Howard is Ringo Starr
Because seriously, what is that guy even doing back there? Howard is also going through Starr's career in reverse, as the Fab Five might as well have been his All-Starr Band.

Tags , ,

Happy Birthday, LeBron James!

Posted 12/30/10 12:30 pm EST by in Music


He is one of the richest athletes in sports, one of the most powerful media icons in the country and one of the greatest basketball players to ever lace up a pair of shoes in an NBA game. And as of today, he's still only 26 years old. LeBron James is celebrating a birthday today, and he got an early gift last night with a victory over the Houston Rockets (that's 10 wins in a row on the road for James' Miami Heat, marking the first time in league history that a team has won 10 straight road games in a single calendar month).

James has had quite a year, as he stirred up an incredible amount of chatter and controversy following his signing with the Heat. In the lead-up to the announcement (which was broadcast live on ESPN in a special called "The Decision"), the speculation about where James (who was a free agent) would sign a new contract. Would he stay with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the franchise that built themselves up around him and was essentially James' hometown? Would he go to the New York Knicks and attempt to save a once-proud franchise in the most high-profile sports city on Earth? Or would he end up in Miami playing with friends Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, creating a trio that would instantly make that team the most elite in the Eastern Conference?

In the end, James of course chose the latter. While the team got off to a sluggish start (through their first 17 games, they were an anemic 9-8), lately they've been indestructible. The most recent feather in their cap was a win over the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day in Los Angeles (a game that the Lakers were never really in). Can the Heat make a run through the rest of the Eastern Conference's elite teams (including Boston and Orlando) and conquer the NBA Finals (where the Lakers, San Antonio or Oklahoma City likely await)? That will be one of the great sports stories of 2011.

In honor of James' birthday, we present him with Jay-Z's "Run This Town" (which features Jigga and Kanye West, both of whom James counts as friends).


Tags , ,

Mark Zuckerberg, Lady Gaga And The Other Hottest 20-Somethings In The Game

Posted 12/15/10 5:00 pm EST by in Music


Mark Zuckerberg may be Time's "Person of the Year," but there's a whole generation of 20-somethings setting the world on fire, proving that with youth comes the nerve and the energy to take the world by storm. Like Zuckerberg, other members of his generation are living by the code that the world is their oyster. As a person in her mid-20s, I have to give a shout out to the kids of my generation who are pounding the pavement day after day and living the dream.

(Click here for more photos of the hottest 20-somethings in the game, including Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Robert Pattinson and LeBron James!)

A big shout out to Rihanna, who dominated the charts this year, looked her demons in the face through song and constantly set fashion trends. She even almost convinced me that dying my hair red would be a good idea.

Also I'm gonna give props to Katy Perry, who redefined herself as a legitimate pop star. Known as just the girl who kissed another girl two years ago, her ode to her home state launched her to the top of the charts and she's never looked back.

Drake, who also happened to be MTV News' #4 Man of the Year, went from Canadian teen actor to legitimate MC, breaking through to mainstream success and causing mass hysteria in the process. Just don't book this guy for a gig at the South Street Seaport anytime soon, OK?

At 25, LeBron James had every team in the NBA vying for his attention, but he also provided a lightning rod for controversy after he left Cleveland behind for the big money and prestige of the Miami Heat. Even if the only thing you know about sports is that Lamar Odom is married to Khloe Kardashian (like I do), you still have an opinion about James.

MTV News' #5 Woman of the Year Nicki Minaj is fierce, tough and well-respected by some of the toughest males in the rap game. She also had one of the most killer guest verses of the year on Kanye's "Monster."

(Click here for more photos of the hottest 20-somethings in the game, including Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Robert Pattinson and LeBron James!)

Robert Pattinson is the leading male in the hottest movie franchise of the last three years. He also happens to be dating Kristen Stewart. You can't deny that starring in "Twilight" has made him into hot Hollywood property.

Lea Michele just got nominated for a Golden Globe thanks to "Glee," and while the fierce New York native may have started on the Great White Way, her musical chops have turned her into a Hollywood favorite.

Lady Gaga just turned 24, but she's managed to have a career that feels decades long. She's a musical artist who also has changed the scope of red carpet fashions, music videos and just how extreme pop stars should take their personas in their off time. Oh yeah, she also wore a meat dress. Not a bad run.

(Click here for more photos of the hottest 20-somethings in the game, including Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Robert Pattinson and LeBron James!)

What 20-something would you say is changing the game? Let us know in the comments!

Tags , , , , , ,

Spotted: Lil Wayne And Mack Maine Support The Big Three In Miami

Posted 11/18/10 1:00 pm EST by in Music


Every day a multitude of stars wander through the halls of MTV News to talk about their latest projects and goof around with our intrepid correspondents. But sometimes we catch stars elsewhere, and that's why we put together Spotted!, a daily compendium of stars in the wild.

Lil Wayne certainly is enjoying every moment of his freedom. After spending eight months behind bars at Rikers Island, Weezy has been living it up the only way he knows how, flying all across the country, appearing on stage, hitting the studio, partying with strippers and, on Wednesday night (November 17), hitting the American Airlines Arena in Miami to watch the Miami Heat dismantle the Phoenix Suns. With label president Mack Maine at his side, Weezy watched the Heat — lead by superstar trio LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh — dismantle the Suns by a score of 123-96. It was an especially big night for Bosh, who dropped in a season-high 35 points and seemed to be open for the duration of the contest. A handful of other stars — including Venus Williams — were also in the crowd in Miami, which is increasingly rivaling the Los Angeles Lakers for sheer volume of celebrity fans.

Weezy wasn't the only star under the spotlight, as Big Boi took his incredible live show to Sydney, Australia and the cast of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1" landed in Japan for the premiere of their new movie there. Click here for these photos as well as the entire "Spotted" archive, which features over 500 candid shots of stars like Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, Eminem, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, the Jonas Brothers, Adam Lambert and Shakira!

Tags , , , , ,

Lady Gaga, Prince And LeBron James' Big Decision: This Week's Deep Cuts

Posted 7/9/10 5:30 pm EST by in Deep Cuts


The long weekend created a short week here in the MTV Newsroom, but that doesn't mean there was any less action going down in this space. Despite the oppressive heat, we managed to sweat through an extremely busy week that featured some high-profile performances, a captivating legal decision and the decision that changed the fortunes of a handful of American cities all at once. Before you get ready for the last matches of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, head to the movies to see "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" (again) or experiment with the best recipe for a Michelada, be sure to check out everything you might have missed.

» Lady Gaga had an extremely busy week. She began with a headlining gig at Madison Square Garden.

» Gaga didn't stop there, though, as she attracted more than 20,000 people to the set of "Today" for a rain-soaked set that made us think about Elton John and Billy Joel.

» Of course, Gaga wasn't the only star grabbing headlines this week. Basketball phenom LeBron James took up an awful lot of bandwidth and airtime this week, but he finally announced he will join Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami with the Heat.

» James' decision threw Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert into quite a tizzy. So now whenever a band breaks up acrimoniously, the remaining members are free to "pull a Gilbert."

» The MTV World Cup of Rock concludes this weekend, so make sure you vote for your favorite in the final match to determine whether Germany or South Korea truly rocks harder.

» For the first time in a while, Prince grabbed a number of headlines when he announced that he thought the Internet is "over."
Read More...

Tags , , , , , , ,

LeBron James' New Miami Neighbors Include Rick Ross, Jennifer Lopez And Uncle Luke

Posted 7/9/10 3:30 pm EST by in Music


After announcing his intentions to sign with the Miami Heat (and driving a stake through the heart of the city of Cleveland), LeBron James wasted no time getting to his new basketball home. After filming his announcement live for ESPN in Connecticut, James hopped on a plane and headed straight for Miami, where he was greeted by excited basketball fans and new supporters glad another superstar had decided to put down roots in the southern tip of Florida.

Though James still needs to search for real estate, he is bound to have some famous neighbors no matter what neighborhood he ends up choosing for his new home. Because of its excellent weather, active night life, easy international access and no state income tax, Miami has become a hugely popular haven for stars of all sorts. A handful of the biggest stars in the music world are actually from the area (including Rick Ross and Pitbull), while others (like Hulk Hogan and Rosie O'Donnell) have migrated there in order to take advantage of everything the city has to offer. For some stars, Miami is a getaway, so even though Oprah Winfrey is a Chicago girl through and through, she keeps a vacation home near the beach.

Since James is such a big fan of hip-hop, he should be excited to finally be living in the city that gave the world 2 Live Crew's Luther "Uncle Luke" Campbell, who might embody the Miami lifestyle and attitude better than any of the city's residents (and that's especially true in this photo).

(Click here for more of LeBron James' new Miami neighbors, including Jennifer Lopez, Jimmy Buffett and Hulk Hogan!)

Who is your favorite famous resident of Miami? Let us know in the comments!

Tags , , ,

The Greatest Dan Gilbert Moments In Music History

Posted 7/9/10 1:40 pm EST by in Music


By now, you've surely read Cleveland Cavaliers' majority owner Dan Gilbert's "open letter" to fans, which was posted on the team's official site moments after LeBron James ripped the heart out of the hard-luck city by announcing he was signing with the Miami Heat (live, on ESPN, to boot). It's an amazing letter for several thousand reasons (the Comic Sans font, the unhinged vitriol, the "personal guarantee" that the Cavs will win a championship before the Heat do, the fact that Gilbert paraphrased the bad guy in the 1990 Steven Seagal flick "Hard To Kill" when he wrote "You can take it to the bank"), but what makes it most remarkable is how downright human of a reaction it was.

Everyone has pulled a Dan Gilbert at some point in his or her life, has raged and wailed and invoked ancient curses on someone who has wronged them in some way. I have personally gone Gilbert at least a dozen times on various fantasy sports message boards (and voicemails of ex-girlfriends) throughout the years. Human beings are not exactly rational creatures, it would seem, and it doesn't matter if you're an embittered rock journalist or the owner of an NBA franchise. If you've been slighted, cheated or hurt, sometimes you've just got to vent about it — gloriously, destructively, scorched-Earth-edly so.

And musicians, well, they're humans too, and when coupled with the ego that's practically a requirement for the job, that means they're capable of some of the greatest Dan Gilbert moments of all time. When they're wronged, they let people know about it, repercussions be damned. So in the wake of all this LeBron hysteria — and in honor of an owner with the cajones to just let it all come spewing out — we've decided to collect the finest of those knee-jerk vendettas for you now. These are the Greatest Dan Gilbert moments in music history.

Sex Pistols v. Malcolm McLaren
The Pistols were never, shall we say, a stable group, thanks to Sid Vicious' voracious appetite for drugs, Johnny Rotten's firecracker temper and the bizarre machinations of manager/impresario McLaren. All those tensions boiled over during the group's infamous American tour in 1978, which lasted only 12 days and ended with the band breaking up following a disastrous gig in San Francisco. The band abandoned Rotten in California (leaving him with no money and no plane ticket home) and spent the next 30 years feuding, accusing McLaren of mismanagement and going to court over the rights to the Pistols' catalog in 1987. Rotten and McLaren never spoke to each other again, though when the latter died in 2010, the former did release a statement, saying he would "miss" McLaren. You've got to admit that 30 years of silence is pretty Gilbert.

The Eagles v. The Eagles
One of the most successful rock acts of the 1970s (and beyond), the Eagles only battled more as the band's fortunes grew. Read More...

Tags , , , , ,

LeBron James' Strange ESPN Spectacle: An Assessment

Posted 7/9/10 12:30 pm EST by in Television


By Eric Ditzian

No offense to diehard fans of "Bethenny Getting Married?" but there was only one thing on Thursday night that qualified as must-see TV: LeBron James' "The Decision," his hour-long ESPN special to announce the lucky winning team of free agency's biggest prize.

From the Web to the water cooler, the hype was inescapable for days. Overheard in the MTV Newsroom: "He's got to be staying in Cleveland, right? I mean, why go on live TV just to break the heart of an entire city?" "Miami, Miami, Miami — there's no other choice." "Just you wait. He'll be a Knick by the end of the night, trust me."

(Click here for photos of LeBron James' big night, including scenes from "The Decision," his arrival in Miami and an appearance by Kanye West!)

And then, when the hour finally arrived, what came sizzling out of the flat screen was one of the strangest pieces of television in recent memory. It was anticlimactic, it was uncomfortable, it was a PR disaster and only after the cameras were rolling did LeBron seem to realize all of these things and think, "Oh, wait, this is going to make me look like a total jerk!"

Of course, we had to wait as the minutes ticked by and four ESPN analysts rained superlatives on him — the greatest! the fastest! the best! — and pretended they all didn't know exactly what James was about to announce. Finally, they tossed to newsman Jim Gray, sitting in a director's chair across from the NBA's reigning MVP as a crowd of children sat watching the proceedings in a super-creepy bit of stagecraft.

Suddenly, it appeared as if James didn't want to be there. Having set this entire ESPN pageant in motion, he finally remembered he was about to destroy Cleveland's soul and that it's deeply uncool to celebrate another person's loss. The entire show took on a funereal air rather than a celebratory one. LeBron was apologetic instead of boldly decisive, morose instead of merry. After announcing his decision in the most rehearsed way possible — "I'm going to take my talents to South Beach" — he spent the remaining time giving bland answers and looking bored (and maybe even a touch regretful).

All in all, it was a huge misfire for James' camp. Read More...

Tags ,

LeBron James' Big Night: On ESPN, With Kanye West, In Miami

Posted 7/9/10 11:00 am EST by in Sports


After months of preparation, speculation and predictions, the decision finally came down on Thursday night. LeBron James, perhaps the most coveted free agent in the history of the NBA (and maybe in all of professional sports), announced live on ESPN that he will be playing basketball alongside Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and the rest of the players of the Miami Heat. Though the details of his contract have not yet been disclosed (the same goes for the new deals for Wade and Bosh), it's certainly going to be lucrative, not only for LeBron but also for the Heat (who have now elevated themselves to one of the four or five teams in the NBA's most elite echelon) and the city of Miami.

James had quite a busy night, actually. The special — called simply "The Decision" — aired live on ESPN. Host Jim Gray discussed James' goals and motivations, and the superstar also spent some time talking about his work with the Boys and Girls Club of America (ESPN donated their national ad time money to the organization). Also present at the announcement? Kanye West, who wasn't involved in the show but did sit in the audience, presumably for moral support (though one would think West would be upset James didn't sign with his hometown Chicago Bulls).

Once the cameras stopped rolling, it wasn't over for LeBron. He jumped on a plane and headed for his new basketball home. Obviously, the fervor surrounding his arrival was great, and he was greeted as the latest superstar to call the southern tip of Florida home.

(Click here for more photos from LeBron James' big night, including scenes from "The Decision," his arrival in Miami and an appearance by Kanye West!)

What do you think of LeBron James' decision to go to Miami? Let us know in the comments!

Tags , , ,

LeBron James' New Team Will Have A Hip-Hop Flavor No Matter Where He Ends Up

Posted 7/8/10 10:30 am EST by in Music


Today is the day. LeBron James, the most coveted free agent in the history of the NBA, will announce where he will be playing basketball for the next few years during a special show tonight at 9 p.m. on ESPN. Obviously the sports world is waiting with bated breath for James to make his intentions known, but the entertainment universe is also tuning in. Considering what a huge cross-cultural star King James has been, his new home will most certainly have an effect on the local music and culture scenes, which is why so many hip-hop personalities have gotten involved (including Fat Joe, Diddy and friend and partial New Jersey Nets owner Jay-Z).

In fact, signing James is so important to the handful of teams still in the hunt for his services that most of them have already signed other top-tier free agents in order to provide James a convincing supporting cast with which he can win an NBA championship. But if LeBron should sign with any of the teams below, what will be the best hip-hop association to make?

New York Knicks
Complimentary Player: Amar'e Stoudemire
Hip-Hop Equivalent: Method Man and Redman
The Knicks have been preparing to court James for more than two years, steadily clearing salary cap space, hiring a new coach and turning over most of the roster. They recently inked a deal with Amar'e Stoudemire, the big man from the Phoenix Suns who will provide defensive assistance and low post support. James is Method Man in this instance because he is both incredibly talented and wildly charismatic. Stoudemire is Redman because he is skilled, unpredictable and has the tendency to disappear for long stretches.

Miami Heat
Complimentary Players: Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh
Hip-Hop Equivalent: Westside Connection
The Heat want James so bad that they not only are cutting deals with their established superstar Wade (who already has one championship with the team) and former Toronto Raptors swingman Chris Bosh. If James shows up, they'll be the new Westside Connection (though they'll probably have to be called the "South Beach Connection" or something like that), with LeBron as Ice Cube, Wade as Mack 10 and Bosh as WC (if only because he's the guy people know the least about).
Read More...

Tags , , , ,

Page 1 of 3123
SPONSORS
AD:
©2012 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. MTV and all related titles and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.